Someone commented they didn't understand while Phil referred to the Boston Garden as a "garbage can", but it's real simple. The Garden is an arena. The acoustics of such venues are terrible, because they were built for sporting events, not concerts. The only reason they became used for concerts was because of promoters who realized they could make more money by putting on a concert for 20,000 people, rather than 5,000 people a night.

Phil, and I'm sure the rest of the band, preferred playing in proper concert halls, but as their audience grew, and said audience became increasingly harder to control, the band found itself becoming increasingly unwelcome by the management of such venues.

When the band played in Boston the previous autumn, they played at Boston Music Hall, and on that occasion Phil apparently commented but all the "shitholes" the band had been playing recently, and they were happy to be playing in a proper concert venue. Unfortunately, the audience's behaviour again was perhaps a bit too rowdy for the venue management taste (I think on this occaison it was specifically things like people dancing in the aisles and smoking). So that's what that was all about.

As far this show goes, this is one of my all time favourites. I had a cassette I made from a radio show that aired most of the second set on WUJC (John Carroll University radio station, so long ago, it was before they changed their call letters to WJCU). When one of the Dead oriented magazines, I think it was Dupree's Diamond News, ran a poll about which tapes readers wanted to see released as a DIck's Pick, this was my first choice. I was ELATED when I saw Dick's Pick Vol. 12 come out, and I finally got to hear the long second set suite without the tape flip in the middle.

MLB bears repeated listening for the Dark Star jam and another, waltz time jam in B. One of the more unusual encores, "Ship of Fools." Before this song, Phil labels the venue a "garbage can." Don't know what brought that on. ***** for the 2nd set, *** for the first, minus ************************************ for Seastones.

I'm editing this review, because I don't think it did enough justice to the magnificence of that jam that includes Mind Left Body but also touches on so many other places. The MLB part itself is of dreamy beauty for which Jerry's lilting 70's sound with Wolf is just perfect -- sweet, tender, and ethereal. After fully satisfying everyone's jamming jones, the band steers into a long U.S. Blues jam before playing the song itself. This is the twin of 6-23-74. They then close the set in fine fashion with Promised Land, GDTRFB, and Sunshine Daydream, all pretty standard but well played.

This is the second 1974 show I listened to this week that was marred by ignorant fans screaming at other fans to sit down. It appears that “sit down/stand up” debate has been raging forever. It’s quite jarring to hear.

The first set is one of the most pedestrian sets I’ve heard the band play. Listless and by the numbers. The second set is very mellow as well but we do have some drippy jams to ingest.

Anyone have the full show? lizardking11109@gmail.com. Love the wall of sound, and an epic weather report suite!

My very first Grateful Dead show. I was 13. Knew even less than I do now. Loved the band. I have been a friend of this devil ever since. I was a guest of my sister and her boyfriend. Thanks Cliff! You have great taste in music. I can't give any kind of analytic review, this one just stuck with me. Everything else has been compared to it. I didn't hear many of the albums with this music until several years later. Love this show.

Shnyoing is a word that erupted in my consciousness the first time I took LSD, and it's very applicable to the MLB jam in this show.

Terrific second set. The only thing that keeps this show away from a 5-star rating for me is the good but ordinary first set. I think this second set is way more psychedelic than the much-celebrated Jai-Alai Fronton 6/23/90 show, and just as well-played. Seastones, however, is a pile of puke and I hate it. I'm downloading everything after it and skipping everything before.

I love when the Dead used to (very rarely) play two Jerry's or two Bobby's in a row (not including the Cowboy medleys and a few others).

My favorite U.S. Blues to date. I 1st heard part of this show as a filler I had on a bootleg. Was labeled Jam>U.S. Blues. Turned out to be one of my favorite pieces of music. I really love the last couple minutes of MLB as they transition into a fantastic U.S. Blues.

AWESOME!!!!!!

Turns out they have part of this show on Dick's Pick's 12. But now, thanks to archive, I got my hands on the whole show...well almost.

Great show, what's left to say?

'Cept maybe this: Mind Left Body Jam - how many times has this been visited - and in such wonderous form.

Listen closely kids, MLB will morphalize inside Bobby's transmogrifier and in only a few more months and spring forth as Music Never Stopped.

It will then fly over to Jerry's frÜzophulator and come out as part of Blues for Allah, the coda.

There's a band out on the highway, highstepping into town, under eternity blues!

I was 18, skipped out of work early, hooked up with a couple of buddies and had know idea what I was in for! Floor seats 20 rows back right directly in front of Jerry and the Wall of Sound. By the 2nd chorus of Tennessee Jed I was on the bus for life. It's grate to be able to re-live the experience through these recordings all these years later. Thanks to the taper for his generosity. Thanks to the community for keeping it real. Thanks to LMA for making it available. And special thanks go out to the GD for making magic with their music.

I was 17, didn't know anything about 'em. Had two $6.50 tickets and couldn't even get $1 for my extra. All the colllege hippies had left town for the summer.

Show started at 6pm sharp on a Friday night. Dead played til about 7:30-40, took a break, came back on around 8, played til close to 10, came back for an encore, and it was over at 10:15.

The slow, spacey numbers were not to my taste, being a newbie.

I ended up seeing JGB the next 2 years, 75 & 76 at the Orpheum. 6th row center for 1 of those shows. I like that JGB better than the Dead show.

Mississippi half-step always had a real personal feel to it. Starting a show with that is worth listening to.

the mind left body jam is one of the best, weather report is also good,3 star show simply because of the recording, but if anything just get the MLBJam its well worth it!

One of the best from '74 IMO if only for the Weather Report->US Blues sweet suite. Keith's delicious grooving really makes it a stand out jam. There was some serious telepathy going on there - just listen to how the band switchs gears with the brief Dark Star jam. There are a lot more melodies in the jam than just the Mind Left Body too.

gotta love crowd banter!!! This is a listenable source for sure.

This is a fantastic show, no debating that. Unfortunately, this recording is muffled and has too much crowd noise for my taste.

The jam out of Mind/Dark Star theme is what made the Dead avatars of live, improvisational music. The jam swings using a I-IV G major 7 - C major 7 modality that peaks impressively. Leo Jerry was really a Tiger in this one.

everyone has got to listin to this one...just the best sugar magnolia ever...so beautiful...and its back to back with the best scarlet begonias...brings tears to my eyes its just that good...no one will be dissapointed with this one...also on dicks picks 12 for absolutly excellent reasons...must download...highly recommended